Corpus Christi Watershed

Jesus said to them: “I have come into this world so that a sentence may fall upon it, that those who are blind should see, and those who see should become blind. If you were blind, you would not be guilty. It is because you protest, ‘We can see clearly,’ that you cannot be rid of your guilt.”

Views from the Choir Loft

“Advent Hymn” • Composed by Flor Peeters

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AINT DOMINIC SAVIO said: “If I save one soul, I save my own.” I think most of us would agree that we’re not on fire for the Holy Faith as we ought to be. Furthermore, we do a terrible job sharing our Catholic Faith with others. The Gospel (Lk 19: 39-40) says: “Some of the Pharisees said to Jesus: Master, rebuke thy disciples; but He answered: I say to you, if they should keep silence, the very stones will cry out instead.” We do not cry out, telling others about JESUS CHRIST, His forgiveness, the life of Grace, and so forth. Indeed, we scarcely whimper.

A Small Way Forward • On the other hand, we have our “small victories.” For instance, it’s so rewarding to expose parishioners to the beautiful Catholic treasury of sacred music. The following hymn—NUMBER 186 in the Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal—was composed by Flor Peeters, who was organist at Malines Cathedral from 1923 until his death in 1986. Peeters was a famous pedagogue, known all over the world, and sometimes taught at Boys Town (Nebraska). The text is an ancient Catholic hymn called Cónditor Alme Síderum, which was been translated into English:

M To access this hymn’s media in the Brébeuf Portal, click here.

Jeff’s Deathbed • Until my dying day, I will never understand why some musicians are fine using hymn books which—broadly speaking—consist of “leftovers” from Protestant hymnals. The Brébeuf Catholic Hymnal doesn’t mimic or “build upon” Protestant hymnals. Rather, it draws upon the gorgeous and powerful Roman Catholic hymnody tradition. For example, ANALECTA HYMNICA MEDII AEVI by Father Dreves gives more than 10,000 Catholic hymns! I just don’t understand why anyone would discard all of those. I gave more detailed thoughts on this matter in 2019:

*  2019 Article • What Makes A “Catholic” Hymnal?

Organ Interludes • As you can hear by that live recording, we normally don’t sing all the verses one after the other. We have the men sing certain verses, or just the women, or SATB, or with Soprano descant, or with a different organ harmonization, and so forth. (We have discussed how crucial musical diversity is many times on this blog.) In that recording, you can hear my rather pathetic attempt at organ improvisation…

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

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Corpus Christi Watershed is a 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to exploring and embodying as our calling the relationship of religion, culture, and the arts. This non-profit organization employs the creative media in service of theology, the Church, and Christian culture for the enrichment and enjoyment of the public.